Pulling-over machine



Dec. 118 1923. 3,47%859 H. D. WEBB PULLING OVER MACHINE Filed May 26. 1919 Patented Dec. 18, 1923.

UhiETtE HOB-AGE D. WEBB, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO UNITED SHOE MACHIN- ERY CORPORATION, OF EATER-SON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATIGN OF NEW JERSEY.

PULLING- OVER MACHINE.

Application filed May 26, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE D. WEBB, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Pulling-Over Machines,

of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is

a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to machines for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes for pullin uppers over lasts.

In t e operation of pulling-over machines as heretofore constructed the upper is pulled lengthwise by means of a toe gripper and is pulled transversely over the fore part by side grippers which engage the upper at or near the location of the tip line,

the uppers of some kinds of shoes, for example turn shoes, being also usually overwiped and fastened in lasted osition at the toe by the same machine. A er this operation shoes of the larger sizes are usually presented to a machine for working the upper into lasted position and fastening it along the sides preparatory to the sewing operation by which the upper is finally secured to the sole or insole, shoes of the smaller sizes, however, being frequently presented to the sewing machine without this intervening step of side-lasting. It has been found practically necessary heretofore, in order that the upper may be properly stretched and conformed to the last at the rear of the tip and across the instep and so positioned in the shank as to permit the side-lasting machine or the sewing machine to operate upon it with the best results, to supplement the pulling-over operation manually, as by mounting the hoe on a spindle and pulling the upper at the rear end of the ball on each side by hand pincers. This supplemental operation, in volving as it does a considerable increase in the cost of manufacture by reason of the ad ditional time involved, it is one of the ob jeots of the present invention to avoid.

To the above and other ends, a feature of the invention consists in a novel construction of upper pulling means designed to draw the upper into such relation to the last over the instep and along the sides as Serial No. 299,789.

to put the shoe in proper condition to be operated upon satisfactorily by the side lasting machine or the sewing machine. The construction herein shown comprises side gripper jaws having upper engaging faces the rear portions of which are inclined inward laterally of the shoe relatively to the front portions for engagement with the upper along the inwardly receding curve of the edge of the shoe bottom at the rear end of the ball of the shoe, the grippers illustrated being constructed for continuous engagement with the upper sub stantially from the tip line location rearwardly with the rear portions of the gripping faces curved inward in substantial conformity to the inward curve of the edge of the shoe or last bottom leading toward the shank. As thus constructed the grippers position and hold the different portion of the gripped margin of the upper in substantially the same relation to the different adjacent portions of the lateral surface of the last including the inwardly curved portions at the rear end of the ball, and serve not only to draw the upper down to the last over the instep but also in the overdrawing operation to pull the upper in an unwrinkled condition tightly and uniformly inward over the corresponding portions of the last, at the rear end of the ball as well as farther forwardly. hen pulled in this manner and fastened as usual at the toe and at opposite sides of the forepart the upper is so stretched and positioned relatively to the last as to eliminate any need for the supplemental manual pull at the sides which has been required heretofore.

The above and other features of the in vention, including certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims.

While the invention is herein shown as embodied in upper pulling mechanism particularly designed for use in machines of the general type disclosed in prior United States Letters Patent No. 1,029,387, granted on June 11, 1912 upon an application of R. F. McFeely, it will be understood that the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to machines of that type nor restricted to the illustrative constructional details.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of upper pulling means in which the invention is embodied, and

Fig. 2 is a bottom View of the shoe shown in Fig. 1 with the gripper jaws shown in section and illustrating further the relation of the grippers to the shoe.

In view of the disclosure in said prior patent, it will suflice for an understanding of the present invention to refer to the details'of construction of the upper pulling means, in as far as they are not modified for the purposes oi" this invention, only in brief terms, and for a more complete understanding'of'the organization of the machine as a'whole reference may be made to said patent. Th shoe ispositioned in operative relation to the several rippers by means ofa sole rest 2 against the resistance ofwhieh' the grippers pull the upper over the last, the shoe being also engaged by a heel rest 4% which'sustains it against lengthwise rearward movement. The toe gripper in. the illustrative construction comprises twopairs of curved jaws 6 which are arranged to' engage the upper round the toe end of the'last and are operated in the usual manner" by means of an updraw' lever and connections not shown herein in detail. The side grippers comprise gripper jaws 8' carried by bars 10 which are supported by up draw levers 12 in such manner as to permit the grippers to move inward over the bot tom of the last after the upper pulling operation to overdraw the upper, the overdraw movement being eliected by springs 14 under the control of gripper-spreading 1nechanism a portion of which is seen at 16. The updraw levers 12 are mounted to swing about a pivot rod 18 and are connected at their rear ends through rods 20 and springs 22 to a cam slide 24 which carries a' roll 26 positioned in a groove in the face of a cam 28 mounted on a cam shaft 30.

It will be understood that after th shoe is positioned with the margin of the upper within the open jaws of the several grippers, the machine is started and the grippers are operated yieldingly through the updraw springs to grip and pull the upper, whereupon the machine comes to rest to permit the work to be inspected. Upon a subsequent starting of the machin the gripper spreading mechanism is operated to cause the grippers to overdraw the upper at the sides, and the upper is fastened at the sides and at the toe in the usual manner by mechanism not herein shown. In machines of the illustrative type, as designed for some classes of work, the upper is alSO overdrawn by the toe gripper, but the machin herein shown, asdesigned particularly for use upon turn shoes,includes'meansfor lasting the toe end of the 1 shoecomprising wipers'32' to the "acside gripper aws 8 are constructed and arranged to engage the upper along the sides of the ball of the last and have their rear portions curved inward laterally of the shoe for engagement withpo-rtions of'the upper extending along the inwardly receding curve of the edge of th shoe bottom at the rear end of the ball. The invention is herein illustrated by reference to its use upon'a shoe of comparatively small size, such as a childs shoe, and as designed for this work, a single pair'of gripper jaws is provided'at each side of the shoe; these jaws-being arranged to engage the upper substantially from the location of the tip line rearwardly. Itwill b e understood, however, that for use on shoes of the larger sizes anadditional pair of jaws-may be. provided at each side as frequently in niachines'of the'well known type illustrated. As thus constructed and arranged, the grippers position and hold the margin: of the upper in substantially uniform relation to the diiferent adjacent portions of the lateral surface of the last including the'inwardly 'curved portions at the rear end of the'ball, and serve'not only to stretch th upper effectively over the instep but also to'insure a tight and effective overdraw, without wrinkles in theupper at the rear of the ball as well asiarther forwardly, thus drawing thenupper close to the edge of the shoe bottom along the shank. When pulled in this manner the upper is properly conditioned for the operation of the side lasting machine, and in the case of some kinds of work for the operation of the sewing machine, without the necessity for any supplemental pulling at the sides.

' IVhile. the invention is herein illustrated by reference to its use upon a turn shoe of comparatively small size, it will be understood thatthe invention is by no means limited to use on turn shoe work nor restricted in utility to the pulling-over of shoes of any particular range of sizes.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desir to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1; In a pulling-over machine, the combination with last and upper positioning means, of opposite sidegri'ppersfor pulling the upper overth'e last comprising at each side of the last a pair of "gripper jaws having upper gripping faces formed to engage the upper continuously from a point in front ofth'e' ball line to a point atthe rear of the ball' line of the' '1ast ":Eorgripping and pulling the upper free from wrinkles along the oonvexly curved edge of the last bottom in the vicinity of the ball, and means for effecting relative movement of said grippers and the last to pull the upper and for moving the grippers toward each other to draw the upper inwardly over the bottom of the last, the upper gripping faces of said jaws being curved laterally of the shoe in approximate conformity to the curvature of the edge of the last bottom in the locations where the grippers pull the upper to cause the grippers in their overdrawing movement to draw the upper close to the sides of last at the rear of the ball line as well as farther forwardly.

2. In a pulling-over machine, the. com

bination with last and upper positioningmeans, of means for pulling the upper over the last comprising a toe gripper at the end of the last and a single pair of side gripper jaws at each side of the last, each of said pairs of side gripper jaws having upper gripping faces formed to engage the upper continuously from a point at or near the tip line of the upper to a point at the rear of the ball line of the last for gripping and pulling the upper free from wrinkles along the sides of the last, and means for effecting relative movement ofthe grippers and the last to pull the upper heightwise of the last and for thereafter moving the side grippers toward each other to draw the upper inwardly over the bottom of the last, the upper gripping faces of said side gripper jaws being curved laterally of the shoe to extend inwardly along the inwardly curved edge of the last bottom at the rear of the ball line to cause said grippers in their overdrawing movement to draw the upper close to the edge of the last bottom where said edge curves inwardly toward the shank.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HORACE D. l/VEBB. 

